Veritas + Oskar Blues Cannabis-Inspired IPA: What Powers the Craft Beer’s Taste

Veritas Fine Cannabis spills the suds on how this terpene-packed special IPA brew came to be.

It’s amazing what one can accomplish when you pay attention in science class. For Dale Katechis, who’s the brewmaster behind the eponymous Dale’s Pale Ale, such expertise gave birth to Colorado’s beloved Oskar Blues Brewery. In the case of Veritas, the science is in our strain library—it’s a reflection of our tireless search for the tastiest terpenes and developing the best cannabis genetics grown in Colorado.

And now, we are thrilled to share the inside story of the April 2022 joint release of a special new product from two of Colorado’s top craft operations: Veritasty IPA. Clocking in at a 7.0% ABV, this flavor-packed, THC-free beer from Oskar Blues Brewery is inspired by terpenes found in Veritas’ extensive cannabis strain library.

Made possible thanks to a confluence of cutting-edge beer science and the combined passions of a group of Colorado folks who really love craft cannabis and craft beer, Veritasty can currently be found on tap at Oskar Blues Brewery taprooms in both Longmont, Colorado, and Brevard, North Carolina. Denver spots where Veritasty is available on draft are both Fire on the Mountain locations, The Black Buzzard at Oskar Blues, Tap & Burger in Sloan’s Lake and the Highlands, Cochino Taco, and The Golden Mill in Golden, Colorado. Look for canned six-packs at select retailers in the Denver Metro Area like Twin Peaks Liquor, Wilbur’s Total Beverage, World Beverage, Loveland Liquors and County Line Wine & Spirits.

Veritas also simultaneously launched a line of complementary, co-branded flower and pre-rolls featuring terpenes such as myrcene that inspired the IPA. The terps are key players in the limited-release strains Slap N Tickle, Cake Pop, Forbidden Melonz #2, Layer Cake, Sky 600 and Strawberry Milk.

How did it all happen? To help us get the full picture, we asked Veritas Fine Cannabis Marketing Director Jordan Plunkett to share the story of what led to Veritasty and the science that brings great tastes together.

Q: How did the idea for this collaboration come about?

JP: There are a lot of beer connoisseurs at Veritas, and with Dale joining the Veritas team in 2021, we figured this was the perfect opportunity to bring these two worlds together. At Veritas, we put a huge focus on our terpenes. Understanding that cannabis and hops come from the same botanical family, we saw this as a perfect opportunity to craft a product inspired by the flavorful terpenes found in some of our strains with the master brewers at Oskar Blues. Ultimately, they were able to create an IPA that complements those terpenes, resulting in Veritasty Legalized IPA. 

What was the single strain that you ultimately selected?

JP: Initially, we brought the Oskar Blues team in to review a few strain options that were typically popular with our customers. The team favored the terpenes most prevalent in Slap N Tickle, so Slap N Tickle became the initial inspiration for Veritasty. From there, they went to work on creating a craft beer to represent those terpenes. Later in the process, due to changes in terpene test results (later tests of Slap N Tickle did not represent the same terpene profile the beer was inspired by) we saw an opportunity to showcase other strains in our strain library that also share a similar terpene profile. For that reason, Veritasty is a collective of the following strains: Cake Pop, Forbidden Melonz #2, Layer Cake, Sky 600 and Strawberry Milk. Notably, all of those are strains that fall under the Rejuvenate category of our strain library. 

What hops are featured? Where was the IPA brewed?

JP: The “whirlpool” hop variety is Cascade, which is added to the wort post-boil but pre-transfer to the fermenter. This provides a balanced bitterness to the beer as well as a strong Myrcene aroma and flavor. The dry hops added during fermentation are Amarillo, Citra, Azacca and Idaho Gem. Brewing took place at Oskar Blues Brewery in Lyons, Colorado.

What did you enjoy most about this process?

JP: The overall collaboration is crazy cool to me, but on top of that, the team at Oskar Blues has created a seriously delicious hazy IPA. Personally, I'm a big fan of craft beer and have always loved Oskar Blues and their subtle cannabis references—even prior to our relationship. This partnership gives us the opportunity to showcase two of Colorado's top craft producers in different worlds. We get to educate people on the parallels between craft beer and craft cannabis while highlighting the importance of terpenes at Veritas. I was lucky enough to try the beer early on and the overall flavor and smoothness is incredible. One of the goals in the creation of this beer was to create something for both the beer consumer and cannabis consumer to enjoy, and the Oskar Blues team nailed it. 

What taste do you get from it?

JP: This IPA is not your typical bitter, “hoppy” IPA. There are strong notes of fruit and sweet citrus leaving a velvet-like feeling in your mouth. It’s light enough to be enjoyed at any time of the day, during any occasion. I can’t stress the power of these terpenes enough. This beer is so great because it really highlights the power of the terpenes and the knowledge that comes from two specialists in their respective fields. Oskar Blues and Veritas share a lot of parallels in who we are and what we strive to do. In both cases, everything starts with quality products going in to produce quality products going out.